Nut device and installation thereof



June 4, 1946. A. w. KIMBELL 2,401,427

NUT DEVICE AND INSTALLATION THEREOF Filed Aug. 12, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 InvenZon' yak-saw WKim June 4, 1946. A. w. KIMBELL 2,401,427

NUT DEVICE AND INSTALLATION THEREOF Filed Aug. 12, 1942 2 Sheet-Sheet 2 FFgnS.

Patented June 4, 1946 NUT DEVICE AND INSTALLATION THEREOF Arthur W. Kimbell, West Newton, Mass., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Boots Aircraft Nut Corporation, New Canaan, Coma,

of Delaware a corporation Application August 12, 1942, Serial No. 454,557

2 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to nut installations, particularly to those of the type wherein one or more nut members are afilxed to an apertured support prior to engagement by a cooperafastenings, and readily collapsed thereon with portions of the cage radially clenched to or embedded in the support in spider-like fashion, to securely mount the nut in fixed relation to the support. The installation is particularly useful tive fastening element as, for example, a bolt, in connection with blind fastening installations and the invention aims generally to improve on plywood and the like bodies as, for example, existing mst uations of that type. plywood parts of aircraft, accessible from only A further and more specific aim and object of one side thereof, and the nut as well as the part the invention is the provision of an improved to be supported with its attaching bolt must be nut installation for blind fastenings applied to applied from said accessible side. The device is apertured wood or plastic supports for example, made up of an assemblyof pieces to facilitate parts of aircraft, automotive, or like bodies. Acmanufacture. cordingly. the invention provides a simple nut In the illustrated forms of the invention shown member, preferably of sheet metal; combined with in the drawings the nut member It may be a case designed to be clinched permanently into of any suitable form and construction. However, the support in spider-leg fashion and which can as herein illustrated, the nut is formed of sheet be applied from one accessible side of the supmetal and is provided with an annular base ll port. Such an installation, according to the and a central tubular nut barrel l2 which may fiivention, will withstand the torque applied to be internally threaded as at l3. If a self-lockit when the bolt or screw is applied by modem ing nut is desired, the nut may be formed with production methods without tearing the cage or an axially spaced threaded portion 14 connected nut from the support. to the barrel 12 by folded resilient wings Hi. It Illustrative of the invention, reference is made will be understood, however, that this locking to the accompanying drawings, showing prefeature is optional. Preferably, the base H is ferred embodiments of the invention, and formed with a plurality of annularly spaced pewherein: ripheral lugs I6 for securing the nut member to Fig. 1 is an enlarged top plan view of the instalthe attaching cage. lation or nut assembly; The attaching portion on the cage [1 is pref- Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view thereof; erably formed as a part separate from the nut, Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of the comand is of sheet metal provided with an aperbined nut and cage members; tured head H, the aperture of which is at least Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view thereof; equal to the diameter of the threaded bore l3 of Fig. 5 is a side view similar to Fig. 3 with the the nut so as to permit passage of the screw component parts disassembled; therethrough.

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view taken on the V v The sides of the cage comprise a plurality of line 6-6 of Fig. 1; relatively narrow collapsible fingers or ribbons l8 Figs. '7, 8, and 9 are views similar to Figs. 3, 4, integral with the head I! and joined thereto at and 5 respectively of a second form of the invenpoints below the upper plane of the head I'I so tion; as to form a relatively stiff and rigid crown 20. Fig. 10 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 6 Certain of the ribbons l8 have edges extending illustrating the second form appliedto the supoutwardly to the plane of outer face of the head port; so as to form intervening spaces 2| for the recep- Fig. 11 is a bottom plan view of the nut assemtion of the fastening means It, such as the tongue bly, part of the container ring being broken away IS on the nut base II. The nut l0 may, howto show the arrangement of cage feet; and ever, be attached to the cage head I! by other Fig. 12 is a plan view of the blank used for suitable means .as, for example, by welding it making the cage according to the form shown in directly thereto. Figs. 7 to 10 inclusive. The lower ends of the fingers or ribbons I 8 The invention, in its broader features, comforming the sides'of the cage are outtumed to prises the provision of an axially collapsible cage provide foot portions 23, which are embraced by or attaching portion, having a suitable nut mema retainer ring or band 24, overlying the upper ber attached to one end thereof, and which may. and lower faces of the feet 23 and extehding upbe inserted in an opening in a supporting memwardly along the inner wall of the cage a subber from one accessible side thereof, for blind stantial distance so as to reinforce the latter. The feet 23 are thus securely clamped by the band 24 against displacement vertically in opposite directions, as well as radially outwardly and inwardly during the attaching operation.

The fingers or ribbons [8 are preferably formed with weakened areas 25 intermediate the feet and are located nearer the crown 20 than the ring 24.

The nut and cage assembly thus described may be readily assembled upon a supporting panel 26 of suitable material, such aswood or plastic as desired, which previously has been formed with. an aperture 21 of suflicient size to permit the' passage of the nut l and crown 20 of the cage therethrough. As illustrated'in Fig. 6, the feet 23 and retainer band 24 are of larger diameter than the aperture 21 to provide a clamping surface for engaging the accessible side of the support 26. V

The assembled nut and cage head is inserted through the aperture 21 from the accessible side of the panel and clamping pressure is applied in any suitable manner between the nut ID and outer flange of the ring 24 to collapse the fingers l8. The application of clamping pressure causes the fingers I8 to buckle outwardly at.the weakened areas 25, permitting the collapsed fingers to be flattened against the opposite face of the support 25. When the supporting membe 26 is of relatively soft material, such as plywood and the like, portions of the fingers I8 as well as the ring 24 are actually embedded in the support, thus se- I curely fixing the nut axially with reference to,

the aperture 21 of the supporting panel and located on the side thereof opposite the side from which the nut is inserted,

The collapsing of the fingers or ribbons l8 to spider-like form and partially imbedding them in the support provides a strong secure nut installation to resist the torque transmitted to the nut and cage in applying a screw or bolt by modern production methods as, for example, a powerdriven rotary tool.

In Figs. '7 to 12 I have shown a second form of the invention specially adapted to installations subject to high torque in applying the cooperating fastening element.

The nut assembly of Figs. '7 to 12 inclusive is 4 very similar to the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, except that the base l la of the nut and the head Ila of the cage are comcal in shape to provide a more stable and centered assembly. Furthermore, the outwardly turned feet 23a are formed with lateral extensions 23!) so that when the feet are clamped in the retainer ring 24 the portions 23babut each other and providea vcontinuous rim of the cage, as shown in Fig. 11.

Advantageously, the weakened areas 25a of the fingers [8 are located nearer the feet 23a than to the head Ila so that the collapsing of the fingers is immediately above the inner upper edge of the ring 24 so that the spider-like collapsed fingers are almost wholly embedded in the support 26.

The cage member may conveniently be made from a stamped blank, as shown in Fig. 12, which may be apertured as indicated by the line I lb and, thereafter, shaped to the form shown in Fig. 9.

It will be appreciated by' those skilled in the art that the invention provides a simple, economical, neat installation for blind fastenings, particularly adapted for plywood and like supports.

Although I have illustrated and described preferred embodiments of my invention, I do not wish to be limited thereby because the scope of my invention is best defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A nut assembly comprising a nut member having a base and a tubular threaded portion, an attaching member assembled with said nut base and including a still, rigid crown abutting against the nut base, tongues extending from one of said members and engaging the other to secure the nut member to the attaching member, and spaced, bendable, finger-like portions extending from the crown of the attaching member and having outturned free end portions.

2. A nut assembly comprising a nut member having a frustro-conical base and a tubular threaded nut portion, an attaching member assembled with said nut base including a frustroconical end portion engaging with andsecured to the frustro-conical base of the nut member, and a skirt of spaced, bendable, fingers extending from the frustro-conical end portion of the attaching member, said fingers having outturned, free end portions.

ARTHUR W. KIMBELL. 

